Man sentenced to life in prison for deadly robbery in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A judge rejected any possible relief for a convicted Fresno murderer on Thursday.

"I can't think of a stronger set of facts that establish that Mr. Guido would be a danger to the community if released because he carries a gun or weapon every time he commits a crime, as he did here," Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Conklin said.

Raymond Guido sat with his head up, looking at Conklin, who imposed the maximum sentence.

"For a term of life, without - without the possibility of parole," Conklin said.

The judge then went even further and sentenced Guido to another 25 years to life plus four years in state prison.

Guido's lengthy prison sentence comes more than a year after Luis Castillo lost his life in what the judge called a "cold" and "callous" murder.

"Just somebody who was taking a walk. And Mr. Guido approached him and dropped him," Conklin said.

The shooting happened at an apartment complex near Thomas and Jackson Avenues in East Central Fresno in December 2022.

At the scene, police officers found the 40-year-old Castillo with multiple gunshot wounds.

He had been in Fresno for less than three months. He was here to work and send support back to his wife and kids in Mexico.

Prosecutors say Guido robbed Castillo before shooting him, and the District Attorney's office charged the now 32-year-old Guido with murder and second-degree robbery.

Guido pleaded not guilty, and his defense argued there wasn't enough evidence to convict him. However, a jury disagreed and found Guido guilty in November.

It wasn't the first time he's been in trouble with a weapon.

"Each of Mr. Guido's prior criminal offenses involved the use of a deadly weapon. Brass knuckles, a concealed firearm, a concealed dirk or dagger on two counts," Conklin said.

He kept going with that list of weapons that Guido's had. And Conklin also said that even if state laws change down the road, he would not go back and reduce Guido's life sentence.

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